The U.S. Air Force by far maintains the most expensive fleet of aircraft on the planet. The B-2 Spirit is chief among these with a price tag of more than $2 billion per plane. However, the U.S. military does not flippantly throw money around like many might assume by just looking at its annual defense budget. In fact, the U.S. Air Force employs many cost-effective aircraft throughout its expansive fleet.
Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at some of the most inexpensive aircraft in the U.S. military. To determine the cheapest U.S. military planes, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website, as well as various additional sources for prices of U.S. military aircraft listed. Included in this list are the 34 aircraft with unit prices of less than $100 million – adjusted for inflation to March 2024 using the CPI inflation calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data on primary roles and primary contractors came from various military and historical sources.
One of the more notorious aircraft on this list that is one of the cheaper aircraft in the fleet is the A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly referred to as the Warthog. Valued at around $18 million, the Warthog is known for its durability, firepower, and low-speed, low-altitude attack capabilities. It acts as a vital asset for ground troop support.
Separately, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is another essential aircraft that is valued at roughly $27 million per unit. Possessing a mix of air-to-air combat and ground attack capabilities, the fighter jet is used by various nations due to its affordability and continues to be a staple in the U.S. air fleet. (Exploring the fastest and most powerful fighter jets in existence.)
One interesting note about this list is that many of these aircraft are older, meaning they were introduced more than a decade or two ago. Production costs and inflation have remained relatively low for these aircraft and made them a cost effective option for the U.S. military. (These are the oldest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.)
Here is a look at the cheapest U.S. military aircraft:
34. Martin P-3 Orion
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $96.89 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 8
- Primary role: Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
- Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
33. C-130 Hercules
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $93.09 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 338
- Primary role: Aerial refueling, tactical passenger and cargo airlift
- Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
32. E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Command and Control Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $90.49 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 83
- Primary role: Airborne Command and Control, Battle Space Management
- Primary contractors: Northrop Grumman
31. Bombardier Express E-11
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- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $88.51 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 7
- Primary role: Airborne early warning, electronic warfare, transport
- Primary contractors: Airbus Military
30. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $79.56 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 549
- Primary role: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
29. C-40 Clipper
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $77.26 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 18
- Primary role: High-priority personnel transport
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
28. C-37A (Gulfstream V) and C/NC-37B (Gulfstream 550)
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $76.63 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 1
- Primary role: Passenger transport
- Primary contractors: Gulfstream
27. UC-35 Citation
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $76.43 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 38
- Primary role: Passenger and cargo airlift
- Primary contractors: DynCorps; Valair and Pratt & Whitney
26. EA-18G Growler Airborne Electronic Attack Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $75.80 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 153
- Primary role: Airborne Electronic Attack
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
25. KC-135 Stratotanker
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $74.93 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 377
- Primary role: Aerial refueling and airlift
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
24. EP-3 Ares II
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $69.13 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 9
- Primary role: Multi-Intelligence reconnaissance aircraft
- Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
23. C-2A Greyhound Logistics Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $45.19 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 26
- Primary role: Carrier On-board Delivery (COD) aircraft
- Primary contractors: Northrop Grumman
22. C-20 Gulfstream Logistics Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $44.35 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 5
- Primary role: Worldwide passenger and cargo airlift
- Primary contractors: Gulfstream Aerospace and M7 Aerospace
21. Leonardo C-27 Spartan
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $44.25 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 7
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
20. AV-8B Harrier II
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $36.09 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 87
- Primary role: Combat aircraft
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
19. F/A-18 A-D Hornet
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $34.26 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 229
- Primary role: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
18. Bombadier Dash 8
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $33.32 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 19
- Primary role: Special mission, transport
- Primary contractors: de Havilland
17. F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Fighter
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $27.81 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 22
- Primary role: Adversary fighter
- Primary contractors: General Dynamics Corp., and Lockheed Martin
16. Boeing RC-135
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $21.65 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 22
- Primary role: Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
15. C-146 Wolfhound
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $19.43 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 20
- Primary role: MEDEVAC, transport, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
- Primary contractors: Dornier
14. T-45C Goshawk Training Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $19.27 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 189
- Primary role: Training platform for Navy/Marine Corps pilots
- Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
13. MC-12W Liberty
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $18.76 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 36
- Primary role: Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
- Primary contractors: L-3 Communications
12. A-10C Thunderbolt II
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $18.54 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 270
- Primary role: Close air support, airborne forward air control, combat search and rescue
- Primary contractors: Fairchild Republic
11. U-28A Draco
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $18.21 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 35
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: Pilatus Aircraft
10. Fairchild C-26 Metroliner
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $16.22 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 22
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: Fairchild Swearingen
9. M-28 Skytruck
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $15.63 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 5
- Primary role: Close-air support, transport, search and rescue
- Primary contractors: Sikorsky
8. Airbus Military CN-235
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $9.23 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 5
- Primary role: Close air support, ground attack, search and rescue, transport, MEDEVAC
- Primary contractors: Airbus Military
7. Beechcraft 1900
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $8.64 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 6
- Primary role: Airborne early warning, electronic warfare, transport
- Primary contractors: Beechcraft
6. DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $7.29 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 1
- Primary role: MEDEVAC, transport
- Primary contractors: de Havilland
5. UC-12 Huron Logistics Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $7.18 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 28
- Primary role: Light passenger and cargo airlift
- Primary contractors: Raytheon Aircraft Company
4. Learjet 35
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $6.08 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 19
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: Learjet
3. Beechcraft C-12 Huron
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $3.78 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 95
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: Beechcraft
2. Cessna 208 Caravan
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $3.35 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 3
- Primary role: Transport
- Primary contractors: Cessna Aircraft Company
1. T-34C Turbomentor Training Aircraft
- Est. cost per unit, 2024: $1.14 million
- Active in U.S. Military: 17
- Primary role: Pilot proficiency, low safe mission, and other aircraft support services for the fleet
- Primary contractors: Raytheon Aircraft Company
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